A LITTLE Rosyth girl who suffered a horrific facial injury at a Fife Council playpark has been treated as a "problem that needs to get brushed under the carpet".

Esme Philip was just two when an insecure fence next to a swing fell on her last summer and left her with a "life-changing scar".

Almost a year on, her angry mum, Stacey, claimed the council had not found out what happened, withheld information from her and made no effort to check on her daughter's welfare.

She told the Press: "They've only investigated to clear their name, they don't know who did it or why and they're not bothered in the slightest about Esme.

"They don't see it as their problem, they've done a tick-box exercise and say an inspector checked it two days before and it was fine.

"It still happened on their site, she suffered a massive injury at a playpark they run that should have been safe, but all they've done is treat a two-year-old as a problem that needs to get brushed under the carpet."

Esme was at Letham Glen, Leven, with older brothers Warren and Isaac and their grandparents when she grabbed on to a fence that surrounds a swing specifically designed for wheelchair users.

It came away and fell on her, hitting her in the face and causing a deep 20-centimetre cut, from just above her right eye to near her hairline.

Stacey continued: "Esme is still young and doesn't really talk about it but she'll have to deal with her scar through primary and high school, when she goes on holiday with her girlfriends, on her wedding day she's going to have to get it covered up, it's a big deal and it will affect the rest of her life.

"Sometimes she looks in the mirror and says, 'My scar, my scar', and looks sad but we're trying to change the narrative, to make it more positive."

A council investigation found that bolts were removed deliberately in the two days before the incident on July 25, 2021.

However, Police Scotland said they could find no evidence of foul play.

Three seemingly 'tamper-proof' torque bolts that held the fence together were found near the scene and it’s thought only a specialist tool could be used to remove them.

Stacey says she only found out recently from her lawyer that bits from a torque screwdriver had been left at the scene.

She said it was not a common tool to have and the person would need to know the exact size of the bolts.

Stacey, who praised the police for their support since the accident, added: "I know there are kids going through so much worse but no-one at Fife Council is fighting for Esme so I feel I need to."

The family have been back to Letham Glen since but her mum was "physically shaking" while her sons were "almost crying" as they panicked and worried that Esme would get hurt again.

Stacey continued: "Unless someone comes forward, I don't think we'll ever know what happened.

"I just feel the council have done the absolute minimum. They've always seen themselves as the victim, rather than Esme, and seem more keen to protect themselves. They haven't been in touch and made no effort at all."

Fife Council service manager Scott Clelland said: "This was a terrible incident and we continue to send our thoughts and best wishes to Esme and her family.

“Police Scotland investigated this incident, and the corporate investigation and HSE overview confirmed that Fife Council followed the industry-regulated inspection regime."